Former Celtic winger Paddy McCourt has announced his departure from Derry City FC in pursuit of new challenges.
McCourt played for the club for eight years, before progressing to youth development in November 2018 before then being appointed technical director in January 2020.
The 40-year-old, who lives in Muff, also played for Celtic, Derry City, Barnsley, Brighton & Hove Albion and Finn Harps in his career. He has spent the past two years fighting a sexual assault charge in relation to an alleged incident that occurred on January 30, 2022. His appeal was granted and he was cleared of the charges in December 2023.
McCourt said he has decided to pursue a fresh challenge away from Derry City FC and informed Derry City FC Chairman Philip O’Doherty of his decision.
O’Doherty said “Patrick has been a great servant to Derry City FC in his spells at the club. He will forever be welcome in the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium and I personally would like to thank him for his efforts at the club. I fully respect his wishes to pursue new challenges and wish him all the best for the future.”
Paddy said “I would like to thank the club for the opportunity as both a player and as Academy Manager and Technical Director, for which I am forever grateful. The 8 years I spent at Derry City FC have been some of the most enjoyable of my career, but I feel at this time that a fresh challenge is something I need to pursue. I appreciate the club’s understanding of my wishes in this regard. I wish the club every success in the future and look forward to attending games in the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium as a fan this season. Best of luck to Ruaidhrí Higgins, his staff and the players for the season ahead.”
